Vestir a revolução: a produção têxtil de Popova e Stepanova entre construção, política e crítica à moda ocidental (1921–1924)

Abstract

This article analyzes the textile and clothing production of Liubov Popova and Varvara Stepanova during the Russian Avant-Garde period between 1921 and 1924, employing a historical-analytical study based on a review of bibliographic and documentary sources. The study seeks to understand how the artists applied Constructivist principles to industrial textile production; to identify points of convergence with, and divergence from, the Western fashion system of the 1920s to examine the presence of their work within fashion historiography; and to investigate potential connections between their proposals and Soviet debates regarding women's emancipation. The methodology adopts an interdisciplinary qualitative approach, integrating the analysis of primary sources, such as the artists' manifestos and writings, with secondary sources drawn from the fields of art history, design, fashion, and gender studies. The findings suggest that Popova and Stepanova contributed to the formulation of a concept of clothing guided by functionality, productive rationalization, and the integration of art and industry, a vision standing in contrast to aspects typically associated with Western fashion of that era. It is concluded that their work can be understood as an integral part of the cultural and social transformations of the post-revolutionary Soviet context, while also serving to broaden the historiographical discourse concerning fashion, design, and women's participation in artistic and industrial production.